Realization of the Rights of the Girl Child in Nigeria: Child Marriage in View

Abstract

Child marriage is a human rights violation that prevents girls from obtaining an education, enjoying optimal haealth, maturing, and ultimately choosing their own life partners. Current studies reveal that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. The victims of this inhuman practice are girls. In Nigeria, the practice of child marriage is mostly found in the northern part of the country. In Nigeria, Child marriage is driven by weak legal sanctions against child-marriage, cultural beliefs and traditional practices, religious beliefs, socio-economic challenges, lack of education and empowerment of the girl-child. Child marriage has many effects on the girl child’s health such as increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STD), cervical cancer, death during childbirth, and obstetric fistulas. Child marriage also affects the psychological and mental health of the girl child. This paper discusses the factors that engender child marriage in the society, the effects of child marriage on the girl-child, and canvasses that a holistic approach must be taken to curb this menace of child marriage in Nigeria. This involves the law and socio-economic approaches to tackle child marriage. The paper makes several recommendations to prevent child-marriage including, nation-wide adoption and enforcement of the Child Rights Act 2003, criminalization of child marriage and punishment of perpetrators of child-marriage, awareness and enlightenment campaigns on the varied implications of child-marriage, among others.